Emerging Adults’ Adherence to Preventative Health Guidelines in Response to COVID-19
Objective To examine rates of emerging adults’ (EA) adherence to preventative health behavior recommendations during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate demographic (i.e., gender, years of education, socioeconomic status, school enrollment status, and living situation) and expos...
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Published in | Journal of pediatric psychology Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 635 - 644 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Oxford University Press
20.07.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Objective
To examine rates of emerging adults’ (EA) adherence to preventative health behavior recommendations during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate demographic (i.e., gender, years of education, socioeconomic status, school enrollment status, and living situation) and exposure and impact-related correlates of adherence.
Methods
Participants were 273 [M (SD) age = 22 (2.1) years, 55% female, 32% from minoritized groups] EA completed an online survey of adherence to 11 preventative health behaviors recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) during summer 2020. Participants rated adherence via a visual analog scale. Participants also reported demographic information and completed the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Adolescent and Young Adult Version (CEFIS-AYA).
Results
Median levels of adherence to preventative recommendations ranged from 66% to 100%. Highest adherence levels (Mdn > 90%) were reported for quarantining if exposed to COVID-19; covering mouth when sneezing; avoiding the elderly/those at high risk; and avoiding large gatherings. Median adherence was <80% for mask wearing; maintaining a 6-foot distance; avoiding in-person visits with romantic partners or friends; and disinfecting surfaces. Female gender was the only variable significantly associated with overall adherence, and it explained 4% of the variance.
Conclusions
Following guidelines related to social distancing practices may be particularly challenging for EA, possibly because of unique developmental needs of this group, and males may be at greater risk for non-adherence to CDC recommendations. Therefore, public health messaging and adherence intervention development should be designed with males and social distancing practices in mind. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0146-8693 1465-735X |
DOI: | 10.1093/jpepsy/jsab047 |